Rasx, You are correct! One problem - you are dealing with an insane environment. People that work at Microsoft are inbread and will never listen to you. The inbreeding has created genetic freaks that can solve number puzzles on a white board whether this
measures the value of a potential employee or not. And as you so rightly point out, the exercise is silly and shows the defect of the inbreeding.

First off, sorry about your loss of job. It's not fun when anyone "gets the boot".

But, there are a number of reasons people don't get jobs, despite being qualified for them. Probably the most important of which is personality.

The point being: There is a lot of science to interviewing and skills are just one aspect. Perhaps your tendency towards bitterness was showing through?

Donut,

You are full of holes. Flat out, my personality going into interviews at MS was pristine, happy, positive, energized. Remember, I have been employed at MS and know what it takes to get hired there right?

I can give you line by line, blow by blow reasons why I did not get the jobs I interviewed for. Those reasons are all about technical knowledge.

One example: 2,2,3,3,3,5,5,6,6,9,9
Write a routine that finds the number in the above set that shows up an odd number of times. Do it _now_ without any reference. Do it while under the pressure of someone waiting for you to do it.

I already said I'm a web dev. A Microsoft web dev. Most of my career at MS was ASP 3.0 using VBScript. We'll cut to the chase here Donut, on what the interviewer was looking for. The interviewer wants to see you use a hash in the solution. If you didn't use
a hash you flunk. Have you ever tried to implement a hash in VBScript? To be honest I was using C# in the interview. C# has an inherent hashtable type. Everyday I look improve my C# skills. However, at interview time, I had used the hashtable type so infrequently
that I couldn't remember the syntax. I told the interviewer this. Didn't matter. I solved the problem but I didn't use a hash. I failed. If I could have flipped through a ref book for 15 secs or had intelli-sense I would have remembered the usage. At this
point the interviewer turned cold and said I have no further questions. I went down the elevator and out the door…

In _all_ cases that I failed in Microsoft interviews (AFTER I WAS A MS EMPLOYEE) it was due to not being able to speak like I write CS textbooks on any issue the interviewer brings up. I could have aced another interview if I remembered these simple words:
“SQL Execution Plans” On the job I could have brought that to mind is a minute or so. In an interview the pressure kills.

The hiring manager that originally hired me into my Microsoft position said, “You were hired because you have proved that you can learn what’s put in front of you and you continue to learn.”

So I hope the non-equation is painted clearly enough here.

I got hired because I proved I had the right stuff in that I could and did continually learn what was put in front of me. I didn’t get re-hired because I couldn’t satisfy the interviewer that I know enough. Is that your interviewing science?

What a load of crap. Like Microsoft's interviewing has some sort of science behind it. How often do you cycle recruiters? I have never seen the same recruiter more than once.

I have been through the interview process several times. Once I got hired. During my 4+ years working there my average review score was 3.5. Managers said they had never seen anyone progress and get promotions as fast as I did.

Then some manager reorged the division and he didn't have any use for web dev's so he eliminated my position (plus others too) to make head count in other places.

So more interviews... Did I get hired again? NO! Why? did I loose my passion for working for MS or working in technology? NO!! Still have it (at least I had it. It's burnt pretty bad now...). Did I get dumber and less capable of doing the work? NO!

So logically, how can this be? If the hiring process at Microsoft is not a pile of crap, why wouldn't someone who interviewed me see the value I have??

Microsoft interviewing is non scientific. Extremely flawed and nothing more than a cruel joke that Microsoft staff play upon their victims. They are on the inside. You are an outsider. Interviewers REALLY enjoy judging people and putting them in the hot seat.
I think they are sadists.

Bitter? Me? Yes! I worked my * off for Microsoft and got rewarded in the end with a boot up my *.

Can you say Open Source? How about Linux? Believe me. DO NOT come to Microsoft to interview unless you are a masochist.